How ISO standards support and benefit the media

Every single working day, there are hundreds of new references to ISO on media sites on the Internet, reflecting growing awareness of the contribution of ISO standards to providing confidence in products and services. However, many journalists and other media professionals are probably unaware of the substantial role played by ISO standards in supporting their own industry.

The latest issue of ISO Focus magazine features "ISO and the Media". It showcases standards that have widely disseminated innovative technological advances in the media industry, increasing its viability.

They have also facilitated the explosive growth of new communication media, such as CDs and DVDs. Other standards, such as for digital file formats and office printing equipment have changed the way we work.

The feature includes articles on the JPEG and MPEG standards for digital compression with respective applications to still photography, video CD and MP3, and digital TV set top boxes and DVD. JPEG is widely used not only by the media but by millions of members of the public to send photo files via e-mail, while MPEG has helped generate the multi-million dollar DVD industry. JPEG and MPEG standards between them have three times been honoured by Emmy Awards bestowed by the US television industry.

The ISO Focus feature includes articles on ISO standards – and joint standards developed with its partner, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) – which are key tools for different sectors of the media industry.

They include standards for photography, images and videos, the digital cinema, office printing equipment  and Universal Plug and Play. This is an innovative technology that will not only allow you to switch the lights on/off or watch your pet while away, but archive files that you can view on a TV, PC or mobile phone wherever you may be.

The feature also includes an article on ISO 32000-1, the standard for the ubiquitous PDF file format used in thousands of different applications. Others deal with standards for graphic technology, optical data storage and formatting text for data storage and exchange. 

ISO standards not only benefit users, but also manufacturers and service providers in the media industry. In an exclusive interview, Reinar Mittelback, CEO of IFRA, the world’s leading association for the newspaper publishing industry writes, “Standardization can save up to 7.5 % of total production costs, which would be wasted if no standards were applied…Newspapers act in a global market, they publish advertisements for global brands aimed at an international market, and the use of worldwide-accepted standards is the only way to be able to do this and to obtain consistent results – globally and locally."

With over 18 000 published standards on subjects ranging from screw threads to environmental management, ISO standards impact just about every industrial and business sector.

“Awareness of the ISO brand and the benefits ISO Standards bring is increasing amongst consumer and business media,” says ISO Secretary-General Rob Steele, “Each day, there are hundreds of new references to ISO on the internet. Last year alone, the Meltwater Report, an Internet search service, identified between 16 000 to 30 000 direct references to ISO and ISO Standards in news releases and articles each month.”

He explains, “This is because more and more companies see it as worthwhile to publicize the fact that their product or services conforms to an ISO International Standard. In fact, ISO is well on its way to becoming an internationally recognized brand with the power to inspire confidence. And providing confidence is a particularly important added value during the current global financial crisis.”

The articles making up the special feature on "ISO and the Media" can be accessed on the ISO Focus section of ISO's Web site.